Tabakovic: Too early to discuss increasing salaries, pensions

Governor of the National Bank of Serbia (NBS) Jorgovanka Tabakovic has said that it is too early to talk about increasing public sector salaries and pensions after only the first positive results of the savings measures

The talks we had today with a mission of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) did not touch on increasing the salaries and pensions as it is too early for such talks, Tabakovic said for Radio Television of Serbia (RTS) on Monday, adding that she expected the IMF to make a positive assessment after the conclusion of their first review of the three-year precautionary stand-by arrangement with Serbia.

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“As (NBS) governor, I am particularly obliged to be cautious ... but I have every reason to be optimistic” ahead of the review results, Tabakovic said.

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“Our goal is not to be raising salaries before 2017 but rather achieving a sustainable budget and spending not more than we earn,” the governor said.

Tabakovic said that the NBS revised the negative assessment of GDP growth for this year to zero.

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Responding to a question why the dinar’s exchange rate was at a standstill for the last month and a half, the NBS governor said that it was one of the positive effects of the arrangement concluded with the IMF.

(Telegraf.co.uk/ Tanjug)